Well, we've established that it really doesn't matter who's playing quarterback for the Patriots. I could be under center and they'd still win. If I was the Patriots' quarterback for an entire season, we'd still probably go 12-4 and host a playoff game.
As you can tell, I was way off with my pick for the Thursday night game this week. Maybe the Texans thought they were supposed to be playing New England on Sunday. Whatever the reason was, they didn't show up. Hopefully the rest of the league doesn't have that problem as we hit Week 3.
Cardinals (1-1) at Bills (0-2): Arizona-I don't know what's going on with the Bills. They held the Ravens to 13 points, then gave up 37 against the Jets. It was the offensive coordinator that bit the bullet, but you've gotta wonder how much Rex's brother is to blame for Buffalo's 0-2 start. Arizona, meanwhile, hits the road for the first time after splitting a pair of home games. We'll see how the Cardinals fare after the cross country trip.
Broncos (2-0) at Bengals (1-1): Cincinnati-What happened to our Bengals-Broncos Week 16 Monday night game? Instead they meet in Week 3. And it's a big one for both teams. Cincinnati hasn't had the easiest schedule to start (at Jets, Pittsburgh, Denver), but neither has Denver (Carolina, Indianapolis, at Cincinnati). The Bengals already have a loss to the Steelers, which means if they lose to the Broncos, too, they'll have already put themselves in a bad position when it comes to playoff tiebreakers. I think they'll be ready for the challenge.
Lions (1-1) at Packers (1-1): Green Bay-Is it just me, or has Aaron Rodgers not looked like himself this season? The Packers' opener against Jacksonville was too close for comfort, and then they go drop a division game against the rival Vikings. You can somewhat write off last week as the excitement over opening the new stadium, but that doesn't change the fact Rodgers threw an interception on the final drive that essentially sealed the game for Minnesota. If there was ever a team that needed the comforts of home, this is it. And they're not leaving Lambeau for a while, either. After their bye, they have three straight home games, which means it's five weeks until Green Bay travels again. A great chance to gain some confidence and get a winning streak going.
Raiders (1-1) at Titans (1-1): Oakland-After opening with two straight against the NFC South, the Raiders finally play an AFC team. The same is true for the Titans, who opened against Minnesota before getting that one-point win last week in Detroit. One of these squads will be a surprising 2-1. Although, I won't be that surprised if it's Oakland.
Browns (0-2) at Dolphins (0-2): Miami-One of them has to win! As has been widely documented over the last week, Cleveland is using its fifth different starting quarterback in its last five games dating back to Week 16 of last season (by the way, Brady will be New England's fourth straight this year alone when he returns in Week 5). And I can't say I'm excited about the prospect of this one, either. I had to look it up to know its Cody Kessler. Johnny Manzeil's still available if they want to make it six straight next week.
Redskins (0-2) at Giants (2-0): Giants-Last year, the Giants lost so many close games it was excruciating. And it's ultimately what cost Tom Coughlin his job. This season under Ben McAdoo, they're 2-for-2. They've beaten the Cowboys and Saints by a combined four points in their first two games. That's enough to make them one of three 2-0 teams in the NFC. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the Redskins. Which is not entirely a surprise. Washington usually gives the Giants a game, and I expect this to be no different. I expect a third close Giants win to start the season, though.
Vikings (2-0) at Panthers (1-1): Carolina-Sam Bradford has done everything right during the Vikings' 2-0 start (ironic that Minnesota and Philly have the same record, isn't it?). Except now Minnesota's offense will need to consist of more than turning around and giving the ball to Adrian Peterson. The Panthers, meanwhile, got their mojo back in that blowout win over San Francisco in their home opener. This one will be tough on Bradford.
Ravens (2-0) at Jaguars (0-2): Baltimore-Of the eight teams to start 2-0, Baltimore may be the most surprising. The Ravens scored just 13 points in their season-opening win, which is a credit to their defense allowing just seven. Then last week, they gave up 20 points in the first quarter before shutting Cleveland out the rest of the way in a 25-20 come-from-behind win. If you look at Jacksonville's 0-2 mark, you'd think "same old Jaguars," but this team is much improved. This will be a game, and a Jaguars win wouldn't shock me, but I'm going with the Ravens.
49ers (1-1) at Seahawks (1-1): Seattle-Will the real San Francisco 49ers please stand up? They had that dominant Monday night win in the opener (which they did last year, too, by the way), then got smacked around in Carolina last week. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have managed a grand total of 15 points against Miami and Los Angeles. They've clearly got some offensive issues they need to figure out. The good thing for them is that they've got a winnable home game in which to work on them.
Rams (1-1) at Buccaneers (1-1): Tampa Bay-Los Angeles makes its first cross-country trek in more than 20 years (the road trips tend to be shorter when you're right smack in the middle) still looking for its first touchdown of the season. Although, considering they played Seattle last week and won without one, I'm sure Jeff Fisher will take 1-1 right now. They'll need to finally get that TD this week, though, if they're going to entertain beating Jamies Winston and Co. in the Bucs' home opener.
Chargers (1-1) at Colts (0-2): Indianapolis-The good news for the Colts is that their 0-2 start hasn't really hurt them, especially with the Texans losing on Thursday night. That doesn't mean I recommend an 0-3 start, though. They already blew their home opener against Detroit. San Diego's another team that they should beat at home. This time, I don't see them squandering the opportunity.
Jets (1-1) at Chiefs (1-1): Kansas City-Twice this season Kansas City hasn't gotten off to a good start. They got away with it against the Chargers, coming all the way back to win in overtime, but didn't last week in that playoff rematch with the Texans. They're gonna need to figure out how to play better first quarters. Because they won't be able to come back on everybody. Teams like the Jets are fully capable of taking advantage of those slow starts by the Chiefs. I think Kansas City will find a way again, though.
Steelers (2-0) at Eagles (2-0): Pittsburgh-Both Pennsylvania teams come into their matchup at 2-0, but they've gotten there in different ways. It looks like the Eagles made the right decision on Carson Wentz. He's the first rookie to start 2-0 with no turnovers since 1970. The Steelers, meanwhile, have looked every bit as dominant as some experts predicted they would be. That win in Cincinnati last week was proof of that. So who stays undefeated and earns Keystone State supremacy? I think Wentz's luck runs out. It'll be the Steelers.
Bears (0-2) at Cowboys (1-1): Dallas-So it turns out all that worrying Dallas fans were doing about life without Tony Romo was unnecessary. Because Dak Prescott has proven to be a more than acceptable alternative. Cowboys fans are no longer worrying about when Romo's coming back. If they are, it's because they're worried Prescott will get them off to something good and Romo will screw it up.
Falcons (1-1) at Saints (0-2): New Orleans-In our Monday night game, it's an NFC South matchup. Both of these teams have played Oakland. The Saints lost to the Raiders, the Falcons beat them. But you can't use that alone to judge their seasons so far. New Orleans lost on a two-point conversion against Oakland and a last-second field goal last week. They're 0-2 by a combined four points. I think luck has had more to do with their record than anything else. They won't be in a position to lose another close one this week. I see the Saints winning by at least a touchdown, probably double-digits.
This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 11-5
Overall: 21-12
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